Mark McCloskey Retrieves his AR-15 from St Louis Police

AmmoLand ^ | August 5, 2025 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

On June 28, 2020, Mark and Patty McCloskey displayed firearms in defense against a BLM mob that had illegally entered their property. The case gained national attention because the radical prosecutor in St. Louis, Kim Gardner, decided to prosecute Mark and Patty. St. Louis police Detective Sgt. Burgdorf found evidence to back up the claim that Mark and Patty acted reasonably. Gardner insisted on prosecuting the McCloskeys.

Gardner was eventually removed from the case for a conflict of interest. A special prosecutor was appointed, who had his own problems. The McCloskeys, successful attorneys, decided to cut a plea deal on June 23, 2021, which minimized their expenses at the time. Governor Mike Parson had promised a pardon. The special prosecutor insisted that the deal include surrendering their firearms. He made this statement: 

“I thought the most important aspect was to forfeit and destroy the guns,” Callahan said. “Some groups wanted to buy the gun and use it as a trophy display.”

On July 30, 2021, Governor Mike Parson granted pardons to Mark and Patricia McCloskey and ten other people.

[marktwain]

A pardon from the governor, three lawsuits, two trips to appeals courts and three years to have the AR15 returned.

[kiryandil]

The BLM mob came back the next weekend to stalk and harass the McCloskeys.

Kim Gardner turned a blind eye to that outrage.

[George from New England]

Again it wasn’t the charges getting dropped — IT WAS THE PROCESS that was THE PUNISHMENT.

[Romans Nine]

If this could happen in Missouri it can happen anywhere.

[marktwain]

If this could happen in Missouri it can happen anywhere.

---

Yes. Elect a prosecutor who believes black people are victims and white people are the victimizers, or who have a political agenda as first priority instead of doing their job of seeking justice, and it can happen anywhere.

Prosecutors have too much power, too much immunity, and are often very political.

[Carry_Okie]

Prosecutors have too much power, too much immunity, and are often very political.

This is actually a very complicated problem, especially because we are governed by so many laws that too often overlap or have deliberate politically defined gaps. How do you propose to solve it without clogging the courts?

[The Louiswu]

Check the barrel, no telling if some idiot scoured the inside with some nails, a lot can happen in 3 years it’s surprising it didn’t get “lost “

[stevio]

Probably stored in a damp basement. Bastards.

[kiryandil]

Yes. Kimmy the ghettopotamus needed to stretch the south end of a north-bound rope.

[marktwain]

I miswrote. It wasn't three years. It was five years.

[Big Red Badger]

The Summer of Mostly Peaceful Protests.
.
Locked and Loaded.

[fwdude]

That sounds like a flagrant violation of the Second Amendment. Someone needs to go to jail instead of the McCloskey’s

[Bon of Babble]

"It only took 3 lawsuits, 2 trips to the Court of Appeals and 1,847 days, but I got my AR15 back! We defended our home, were persecuted by the left, smeared by the press, and threatened with death, but we never backed down."

They were lawyers and were fairly well off. This would have destroyed the average normie trying to protect himself and his family.

As for Kim Gardner the "prosecutor" who brought charges against the McCloskeys: "In February 2023, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey requested that Gardner resign after a serial criminal who had violated house arrest 51 times caused a teenage girl to lose both of her legs....On May 4, 2023, Gardner officially resigned as Circuit Attorney of St. Louis."

She should have been prosecuted, lost her law license and jailed.

[marktwain]

This is actually a very complicated problem, especially because we are governed by so many laws that too often overlap or have deliberate politically defined gaps. How do you propose to solve it without clogging the courts?

---

It is complicated. Most of our societal problems are complicated.

I would start by requiring basic civics courses in the schools, which explain the structure of government and how it is supposed to work. Start at grade three. Require students to know the structure and theory before graduating from high school.

Trump has a good start, by appointing judges who believe in the concept of the rule of law.

We need to reclaim the philosophical basis our governmental structure is based upon. Long, hard, work is necessary.

[ConservativeMind]

I’m shocked that they still had the weapon.

I fully expect police to steal from their impound room, to have sold it off for pennies, or to have simply ground it up as steel to recycle.

[marktwain]

This was a highly visible, political case. The police favored the McCloskeys. They mostly hated Gardner. It is not surprising the firearms were stored properly.

Once, through misadventure, I had five firearms impounded by Panamanian police for about eight months. I got them all back, and they were in as good of condition as the day they were impounded.

[Openurmind]

The process is an absolute crime.

[Carry_Okie]

I had five firearms impounded by Panamanian police for about eight months.

On Panamaniac grounds no doubt.

[marktwain]

The Panamanian authorities were perfectly correct. I had been misinformed by the person I was to replace.

A good learning experience. Saved me from considerable trouble later.

Happened over 40 years ago...